It makes me sad, how stereotyped Indigenous people have become. Especially the Tsalagi, my own beloved community.
The overall image of the "Cherokee" is a false one- of headdresses, tipis, pictures of "sexy Indian women", historical pictures of random Plains tribes, "traditional Cherokee patterns" that are obviously Navajo or West Coast.
When will non-natives (specifically whites) realize that Tsalagi is not a crude tattoo of a skull in a war bonnet? When will they see the three sisters crops, the prayerful hunting traditions, the respect for the Earth and those who will come after you, the family community structure, the boldness, the resilience, the beautiful language, the Green Corn celebrations, the stories, the songs, the dances, the unending respect for each other, your ancestors, your spirituality, and yourself?
We did not wear war bonnets. We wore top knots and feathers, or braids and beads, ribbon shirts, turbans, tear dresses, beautiful jewelry. We did not make totem poles. We made intricate woven baskets, pottery, beadwork lost to time and memory. We did not live in tipis. We lived in thatched roof houses made of wood and mud, and then log cabins, all in planned and fixed community. And again, and again, we are not a "red-skinned" people- we come in a rainbow of skin colors!
We were and are so beautiful. We are still here. We are unique, just like every Indigenous people group across the world is different and beautiful and important. We are Tsalagi.
Please respect us as we are.
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